Instant Insight: Preseason Game 2- Islanders 5, Devils 3

By Dave Turner | Sep 19, 2013 | 9:32PM

Game two featured the debut of quite a few new faces for New Jersey. The Islanders jumped out to a 4-1 lead after one period, but the Devils hung tough in the 5-3 loss.

Some notes and observations from the game:

- There are some who are already grumbling about Martin Brodeur's play in his first preseason action. There's no need to make sweeping assessments about the play of both Brodeur and Cory Schneider after one preseason game. Brodeur has been through many preseasons, and he knows how to get himself ready for the regular season. If he's giving up four goals in a period, ten games into the regular season, sure then there's concern. As for right now, it's still very early.

- Jon Merrill bounced back from a bad play of a two-on-one that resulted in a goal, to finish with two points on the night. He had the primary assist off of his shot from the point that was tipped in by Rostislav Olesz in the first period. He also added a goal in the second period on a great feed from Eric Gelinas. Merrill excels offensively, but he doesn't seem like his defensive game is quite there yet.

- Speaking of Olesz, he has quietly gotten off to a strong start in the preseason. With the likes of Mattias Tedenby and Damien Brunner garnering much of the attention, the former Florida Panther draft pick has two points in two games, after scoring in the 2nd period against the Islanders.

- Eric Gelinas is once again showing showed once again why he belongs in New Jersey. The young blueliner has shown the kind of offensive upside from the point that the Devils haven't seen since Brian Rafalski left for Detroit. At this point, if the Ottawa, Ontario native is able to avoid any sort of major letdown, there's a good chance that he'll make this team.

- Damien Brunner didn't do much to stand out in this game. He'll need some time to get used to the Devils system and get himself situated. With Mattias Tedenby and Olesz each with a goal and playing well, there's definitely no guarantee that Brunner is a lock to make the team just because of what he did last season.

- On a side note, it was a funny moment to see Krys Barch and Brett Gallant of the Islanders remove each other's helmets during their fight. A bit of chivalry? Not so much. The league implemented a new rule this week that forbids players from removing their helmets prior to a fight. The penalty for removing said headgear is an additional two minute minor. Well, Barch and Gallant found the loophole.

Jack Hughes and Kakko are the top two players in the 2019 draft class

May 17 | 8:09PM

Time will tell whether the Devils thinking highly enough of Kaapo Kakko to take him over long-presumed No. 1 NHL Draft pick Jack Hughes, but Kakko's emergence over the last year has at least made it a debate.

And Kakko thinks it can happen, especially as he dominates in the IIHF World Championship.

"This is a big thing for me for the draft," Kakko told NHL.com through a translator. "I think I can be the first (pick)."

The two teams both had tweets in reference to Kakko's goal on Friday

May 10 | 11:06AM

It appears as if there could be a good ol' New York vs. New Jersey battle for Finnish hockey phenom Kaapo Kakko.

Many expect the 18-year-old forward to go second overall to the Rangers, but perhaps it is too early to count out the Devils just yet.

Kakko scored an impressive goal at the IIHF Worlds on Friday, grabbing the puck on a breakaway while a defender attempted to trip him from behind. Kakko escaped free of the defender's stick while also deking out the goalie to sneak the puck past him.

When the clip of the goal surfaced on Twitter, the Rangers tweeted out the eyeball emoji while the Devils tweeted out a double eyes emoji along with a gif of the goal five minutes later.

The Devils drew the No. 1 pick in the June draft during last week's NHL Draft Lottery, while the Rangers came away with the No. 2 pick. Hughes has long been considered the consensus No. 1 selection, but there's been recent talk of Kakko at least closing the gap on Hughes as far as who the top prospect is in this year's draft class after a strong season in the Finnish Liiga.

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Game of Thrones predictions and Season 8 theories from NY athletes

Who will wind up on the Iron Throne?

Apr 14 | 11:00AM

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Winter is here.

With Game of Thrones set to return Sunday for its eighth and final season, New York athletes gave their predictions and talked about theories for how the saga will end.

Click below...

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Devils awarded No. 1 pick in 2019 NHL Draft

This is New Jersey's second first overall pick in the last three years

Apr 9 | 9:42PM

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(David Banks)

The 2019 NHL Draft lottery took place on Tuesday night, and it was the New Jersey Devils' card that flipped to lock in the No. 1 pick.

This is the second time in the last three years the Devils were awarded the top pick, as they landed it in 2017 as well. They spent it on Nico Hischier, who has collected 99 points over two years thus far.

After hearing the announcement, Devils GM Ray Shero couldn't be happier as he said "we need talent." That statement comes after a dismal Devils season where they finished last in the Eastern Conference with a 31-41-10 record.

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Devils score two late goals, top Rangers 4-2

Devils snap two-game losing skid

Apr 1 | 9:51PM

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New York Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei and New Jersey Devils right wing Drew Stafford battle for the puck during the first period at Prudential Center. (Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports)

The Devils snapped their two-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers on Monday at Prudential Center. >> Box score

Devils host Rangers in Newark at 7 p.m. as rivals play out string

First time both teams have missed playoffs in same season since Devils' 1982-83 relocation

Apr 1 | 5:22PM

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Mar 9, 2019; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) plays the puck in front of New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports (Noah K. Murray)

This spring marks the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest non-Stanley Cup Finals playoff series in history -- the New York Rangers' epic seven-game Eastern Conference finals win over the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers, on their way to their first championship since 1940 that season, trailed three games to two before winning Game 6 when Mark Messier backed up his victory guarantee with a natural third-period hat trick and winning Game 7 on Stephane Matteau's goal in the second overtime.

The tri-state rivals will not commemorate the anniversary with a similarly high-stakes meeting this spring. Instead, the Rangers and Devils will each be looking to take solace in playing out the string in inspired fashion Monday night, when they complete their season series as New Jersey hosts New York in Newark.

The injury-riddled Devils lost their third straight game Thursday night, falling 5-1 to the Bruins in Newark. New Jersey has lost 10 of its last 12 games. Cory Schneider stopped 22 of 26 shot. >> Box score

The Devils erased a two-goal deficit to come back and defeat the Canucks in a shootout, 3-2, Friday night in Vancouver. The injury-riddled Devils have won consecutive games for the first time in a month. Damon Severson ended the game in the seventh round of the shootout. MacKenzie Blackwood made 25 saves. >> Box score

Devils start hot, but go ice cold late in 4-2 loss to Rangers

New Jersey allowed four unanswered goals to close the game

Mar 9 | 10:24PM

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Mar 9, 2019; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Jesper Fast (17) defends as a puck shot by New York defenseman Libor Hajek (not pictured) gets by New Jersey Devils goaltender Cory Schneider (35) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. The New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2.
Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports (Noah K. Murray)

The Devils scored the first two goals of the game, but that's all they could muster in a 4-2 loss to the Rangers at the Garden on Saturday night. >> Box score

Devils blanked by Capitals in 3-0 loss

Fifth straight loss for New Jersey

Mar 8 | 9:39PM

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(Geoff Burke)

The Devils' struggles continued Friday night as they were shut out by the Capitals in D.C., 3-0. New Jersey has lost five straight and has scored just one goal in its last three games. MacKenzie Blackwood made 33 saves. >> Box Score

BOSTON (AP) Brad Marchand scored a power-play goal early in the opening period and Tuukka Rask made it stand up with 20 saves for his third shutout of the season, lifting the surging Boston Bruins to a 1-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.

The victory improved the Bruins' streak of at least one point in every game to 16 straight (12-0-4) and they haven't lost in regulation since a 3-2 setback to the New York Rangers on Jan. 19. It's their longest since 18 games (14-0-4) last season.

It went down to the wire Monday afternoon before the NHL trade deadline, but the Devils did trade pending unrestricted free agent Marcus Johansson to the Bruins in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Johansson is now teammates with Brad Marchand, who concussed Johansson last year and whom Johansson ripped for the vicious elbow which caused Johansson's second concussion of the 2017-18 season. Johansson was injured on Jan. 23 last year and didn't return until Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs on April 16.

The Rangers and Devils are both scrapping at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division but it was the Blueshirts who came out on top in a 5-2 win over the Devils. Jimmy Vesey, Ryan Strome and Chris Kreider scored three unanswered goals in the first period as the Devils fall for the second time in their last five games. >> Box score

While the Rangers elected to play players who are expected to be dealt, the Devils held out Marcus Johansson and veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy on Thursday ahead of any possible trades. Both players will make the trip to New York but are expected to be scratched again.

Without those two veterans, the Devils won for the third time in four games by getting goals from Travis Zajac, Steven Santini, Kurtis Gabriel and Miles Wood in a 4-0 home win over the Ottawa Senators.

"This time of year's never easy, and this is sort of the consequence of not having a good year to this point," said Devils goaltender Cory Schneider.Read More

After a miserable first two games of their three-game road trip, it appeared the Devils were going to fly home miserable from St. Paul Friday night as they found themselves down by three. But they erased a three-goal deficit to force overtime when Nico Hischier scored the winning goal to give the Devils a 5-4 win. Cory Schneider replaced Keith Kinkaid with the Devils down 4-1 and stopped all 15 shots he faced, giving him his first regular-season win since Dec. 27, 2017. Ben Lovejoy tied the game with 2:45 left in regulation. >> Box score

Minnesota has lost six of seven (1-4-2) to fall into a tie for the final Western Conference wild card with Vancouver, though the Wild have two games in hand on the Canucks.

However, if recent history is any indication, the Devils may be exactly what the Wild need to steady themselves in the playoff race.

The Wild's lone win since the All-Star Break came last Saturday, when they beat the host Devils 4-2. Minnesota is just one of several Western teams to take advantage of struggling New Jersey, which is 1-4-1 in its past six games. In that stretch, the Devils have lost to the Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues and the Los Angeles Kings.

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Devils score first, but allow five unanswered in 5-2 loss to Blackhawks

Devils hold off Hurricanes late in 3-2 win

Marcus Johansson scores twice in victory

Feb 10 | 5:48PM

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New Jersey Devils left wing Marcus Johansson celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period of their game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Prudential Center. (Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports)

Josh Bailey scored the game winning goal in the fourth round of the shootout as the New York Islanders capped a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night at Prudential Center with a four-game season series sweep. >> Box score

Feb 6 | 12:10PM

The New Jersey Devils began their sell-off ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline on Wednesday by sending forward Brian Boyle to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick.

Boyle, 34, has 13 goals and 19 points this season and leads all forwards in blocked shots with 36 and was second on the Devils with 88 hits in 47 games.

The 12-year veteran, who had also spent five seasons across the river with the Rangers, joined the Devils in 2017 but was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, a rare but treatable form of cancer that affects the bone marrow, before the season began

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Ilya Kovalchuk scores in return to Newark as Devils fall to Kings, 5-1

Former Devil returned to The Rock for first time since 2013

Feb 5 | 9:43PM

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Feb 5, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Ilya Kovalchuk (17) skates with the puck during the second period of their game against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports (Ed Mulholland)

In his first game at The Rock since leaving the Devils in 2013, Ilya Kovalchuk put the exclamation point on the Kings' 5-1 win Tuesday against the Devils. The Kings broke a tie early in the third by scoring three times in a span of 1:20. >> Box score

Ilya Kovalchuk returns to Newark as Devils host Kings at 7 p.m.

Kovalchuk plays first game at The Rock since leaving Devils in 2013

Feb 5 | 6:03PM

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Russian athlete Ilya Kovalchuk (71) celebrates with Sergei Andronov (11) after scoring a goal during the second period of the preliminary round of the men's hockey game at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) (Matt Slocum/AP)

Ilya Kovalchuk isn't expecting a warm reception at The Rock Tuesday night when the former Devil and current King makes his first return to Newark since departing the team in 2013.

"I am pretty sure there will be a lot of booing, but I love that, so it's all good," Kovalchuk said, per NHL.com.

The Devils acquired Kovalchuk from the Atlanta Thrashers at the 2010 trade deadline, and in the offseason the Devils signed the goal-scoring winger to a 17-year, $102 million contract, a deal which was ultimately rejected by the NHL for cap-cirumvention. A 15-year, $100 million deal was approved.

The Devils capitalized on the power-play and Nico Hischier provided some late-game heroics with the game-tying and winning goals to lead New Jersey to a 3-2 overtime road victory over the Montreal Canadiens. >> Box score

Devils rout Penguins 6-3

Zajac records four points as Devils snap three-game slide

Jan 28 | 9:40PM

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New Jersey Devils center Travis Zajac celebrates after scoring a goal with left wing Miles Wood against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at PPG PAINTS Arena. (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)

The Devils raced out to a 3-0 lead and blew out the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 on Monday at PPG Paints Arena. >> Box score

Barzal scored twice in final and finished day with four assists

Jan 26 | 10:25PM

New Jersey Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri moves into position against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Staples Center. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)

Henrik Lundqvist was not the only New York area athlete to impress at the NHL All-Star Game on Saturday.

Islanders' Mathew Barzal scored two goals and finished the day with four assists while Devils' Kyle Palmieri also had a goal and an assist in the two games they both played for Team Metropolitan, which won the 3-on-3 style tournament with a 10-5 victory over the Central.

Barzal and Palmieri both scored in the first period of the NHL All-Star Game final, with Barzal setting the tone with a wrister 22 seconds into the game.